The news story about the teacher in Colorado who’s student recorded him using his position as a pulpit for expounding his own radical political views to his students caught my attention this week.
What bothered me most was that this was happening in a classroom situation during normal school hours where the students are captive and in the role of students, while the teacher is an official and authoritive figure. This wasn’t a case, as the teacher claimed, of stimulating some deep discussion. This wasn’t a discussion among peers. There was not a teacher presenting the other side or other views, the students were being presented a one sided view. There was no balance.
It’s a grave responsibility to teach. I don’t believe we as a society give this role it’s proper respect or demand the proper level of performance from those who do it.
My hats off to the student who did the recording. How many teachers would act differently if they thought their “lessons” were being recorded each day?